Open Arms
Posted by Karah
Pause
Of all the things on your “to-do” list today, nothing is more important than hearing a word from God. Ask God to reorder your priorities and help you read and apply His Word to your life.
Read Micah 7:18-19. The prophet lists several things that make God unique in these verses. Underline them as you read them.
“Who is a God like You, removing iniquity and passing over rebellion for the remnant of His inheritance? He does not hold on to His anger forever, because He delights in faithful love. He will again have compassion on us; He will vanquish our iniquities. You will cast all our sins into the depths of the sea.”
—Micah 7:18-19
God is incomparable; no one and no other god can do what He can. Do you live like you believe this? Why or why not?
The Hebrew word for “compassion,” rāham, denotes a tender love, like the love of a mother for a child. What would it be like if this wasn’t part of His character?
“Vanquish our iniquities” and the idea of casting our sin into the depths of the sea points to God’s forgiveness. In Christ, He has defeated the enemy of sin and taken away our guilt. It isn’t just out of sight, but out of reach, out of mind, and out of existence.
Respond
• Take a few minutes to ask the same rhetorical question Micah posed: “Who is a God like You?” Spend some time praising Him simply for who He is. Thank Him for your salvation.
• If you have never trusted Jesus for salvation, the astounding truth that God has defeated sin may not mean much to you. Respond to God’s invitation today.
• For further study on God’s forgiveness of sin, read Isaiah 43:25; Jeremiah 31:34; Matthew 26:28; Acts 10:43; Colossians 2:13; and Hebrews 8:12.
Behind the Story
On Yom Kippur, the Day of Atonement, present-day Jews fast and pray, spending most of day in the synagogue. It is the holiest day of the year, during which the people confess their sins and seek God’s forgiveness. Toward the end of the day, Micah 7:18-20 is read. While we clearly see the gospel in these verses, Jews do not. Yom Kippur will be observed on September 13-14 this year. Spend some time praying that many peoples’ eyes will be opened to God’s forgiveness in Christ this year.
The Point
There is no one like our compassionate God. Only He can defeat our sin and completely forgive us.
Posted in Boys, Devotions | Tagged Camp Ridgecrest Alumni and Friends, Camp Ridgecrest for Boys, Reprinted from ec magazine. © 2012 LifeWay Christian Resources of the Southern Baptist Convention. Used by permission., Weekly Devotions